Cornelia Amiri is
the author of 16 romance books, including the Steampunk/romance she writes
under the name Maeve Alpin. She lives in Houston, TX with her wonderful son and
granddaughter.

So Cornelia, are you ready to share some of the bits of wisdom you've collected in your journey to publication? Have a seat over here and lets chat.

Tell us about your route to success –did you use an agent?
How did you land your agent and/or publisher?

A writing acquaintance founded Eternal Press and sent me an
invitation to submit. Eventually I had something to submit and they published
it, A Fine Cauldron of Fish, and they have published several books for me
since. I thought Druidess was right for them and submitted I to them only and
they accepted it.

Why did you choose to go with a small/independent press?

The way I did it, I chose a good publisher and they
happened to be an e-book publisher. When I decided I would take the plunge and
submit my first novel, The Fox Prince, I went to the Preditors &
Editors website, clicked on book publishers, and
began with the A’s. I looked at recommended publishers only, who were open to
historical/romances set in a time period prior to 1000 AD.Awe-Struck was the first publisher that
fit.I submitted The Fox Prince
to them and they accepted it. I continued to use well established royalty payin
gEbook publishers, currently I write for Eternal Press, Lyrical Press, and
Ellora’s Cave. I never have and never will regret my decision to go with
Awe-Struck. I didn’t pick them because they are an e-book publisher, I just
chose them because they’re a good publisher..I highly recommend well thought of royalty payingEbook publishers to both readers and writers.

Is there anything you would have done differently during the
querying and publishing process?
For a first book the query and
publishing process is a huge step. You learn new things from being published
and you learn new things when you branch out and deal with different
publishers.I wouldn’t change anything
about my first querying and publishing experience in 2001. It was wonderful. When I received the e-mail form Awe Struck accepting my
novel, the "Fox Prince", I was on cloud nine. Bubbling with
happiness, I was more animated then usual at work. I followed my standard good
mornings with, "Did you hear about my book?" I e-mailed my publisher,
Kathryn Struck, to tell her that I too was attending the Romantic Times
convention and that I would love to meet her. She replied, "I am taking
all the Awe Struck authors to dinner on Thursday and would love for you to join
us." I walked around work waving the e-mail saying, "Look, look, I'm
going to have dinner with my publisher and the other Awe-Struck authors."

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Never stop writing, put your inner-editor
aside and finish the rough draft. Find your unique author voice and go with it,
always. Never give up, following a dream is always hard work, but it's the only
way to truly live.

What are your current / future project(s)?

If you like
Druidess, it’s sequel, Druid Bride is available as well. I also have a
young adult Celtic/Fantasy/Romance which recently came out, The Prince of
Powys. I am working on two Steampunk/Romance books and three
Vampire/Romance novellas

Druidess:In first century AD,
conquering Romans plunge the British tribes into chaos. The future of the mist
covered isle of Britannia and its brave people rest in the hands of two druids,
whose views are as different as fire and ice. Yet they find love together. Arch
Druid Rhys is a master of the sacred mysteries but a novice in the ways of the
heart. Sulwen, a sacred druidess, discovers Rhys, the shape shifter, has evoked
a basic, feral desire in her, only to find the goddess may soon exact the unfathomable price of taking him from her.
Though their love is a potent as their magic, is it strong enough to survive
the turmoil of the Romans, the Rebel Queen Boudica, and the gods?

Where to find Cornelia on the web:

Website:
http://CelticromanceQueen.com

Blog: I’m one of
the Steamed writers - http://ageofsteam.wordpress.com/

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Speculitive Fiction Member Since 2011

About Me

I've lived from New York to California, Washington to Texas, and several places in between. Love the Rocky Mountains, where I spent over 18 years, and I enjoy the heartland. I currently reside in Mississippi with my wife and two of my five children and two cats. A dog would be most welcome, but my wife is not overly fond of critters, she and the cats tolerate one another.
I write Speculative Fiction, mainly Fantasy, and Science Fiction. My current project is an epic fantasy that has a mind of its own.
I also enjoys photography, camping, reading, good movies, and of course telling fun stories.